Major change has been underway in the SEQ water industry including the building of major new water assets by the Queensland Government.  

These assets, which form part of the new SEQ Water Grid, include new dams, a desalination plant, extra groundwater sources and the Western Corridor Recycled Water Scheme.  Regional inter-connector pipelines are also being built to allow water from new and existing water sources to be moved around the Grid.   

The establishment of the SEQ Water Grid is part of a new industry model to re-align the management of water and streamline SEQ’s previously complex water supply arrangements.  These new institutional arrangements initiated by the Queensland Water Commission (QWC) and approved by the Queensland Government, align ownership and control of water assets with public accountabilities so that the Queensland Government is accountable for water supply security and in control of the water and assets to deliver that security. 

These institutional reforms have reduced the number of organisations involved in managing SEQ’s water supply through the formation of new state-owned water entities that include: 

• A new Bulk Supply Authority
• A new Bulk Transport Authority
• A new Manufactured Water Authority
• The new SEQ Water Grid Manager

The SEQ Water Grid Manager is the new statutory authority that has been created to manage the South East Queensland (SEQ) Water Grid. The SEQ Water Grid Manager will ensure adequate water supplies are maintained throughout the SEQ region (including times of drought) and optimise the efficiency of the SEQ Water Grid and maintain regional water security through operational and financial responsibility. 

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